After You, Columbus

To be locked up in the very dungeon which once held Discoverer Christopher Columbus was the interesting fate, last week, of Senor Federico Velasquez, defeated candidate in the Dominican Republic's recent Presidential election.

To show that he harbored no hard feelings, the victorious President-elect, General Rafael Trujillo, offered his incarcerated rival the office of Secretary of the Treasury. Haughtily the prisoner refused. "I will not accept the Treasury post," said he, "while I am held in jail on the ridiculous charge that I am a revolutionary. I am not a revolutionist!" And sulky Senor Velasquez sat down in the dank depths of his historic dungeon.

Christopher Columbus was not only locked up, but irons were riveted on his legs, an indignity spared Federico Velasquez. The year was 1500. Columbus, with the rank of Admiral, was conducting his third series of American explorations (he later made a fourth and final voyage from Spain). Without his knowledge charges had been made against him at the Spanish Court, had been believed. King Ferdinand had appointed Courtier Francisco Bobadilla to be Governor of Hispaniola (The Spanish Isle) empowered to arrest Columbus and ship him off to Spain.

The captain of the ship which took Columbus home offered to remove his riveted irons. "No, no!" cried the Discoverer, "I will wear these irons until Their Majesties, by whose command they were affixed, shall order them removed. And afterwards, my friend, I shall keep them as relics and memorials, tokens of how my services have been rewarded."

By the time he reached Spain, fickle King Ferdinand had veered around again, contrite Queen Isabella was in tears. Columbus appeared at Court bedight with golden robes. His son, Fernando, revealed long afterward that the irons were kept by Columbus "in his closet" for the remainder of his life (six years) and that he ordered them laid beside him in his tomb.*

As the adventure of Christopher Columbus ended happily, so did that of Federico Velasquez last week. Since he absolutely would not accept the post of Secretary of the Treasury, which would mean a shift from Opposition into the Government, it was decided that after all the best thing to do was to let him out of jail and hold the charges hanging clubwise over his head.

In his first official communique President-elect Trujillo announced that: 1) he will visit the U. S. after his inauguration to "see some good friends in the Marine Corps who helped to make me a second lieutenant"; 2) he will be no Dictator, but an Economic Builder; 3) he will reduce his own salary ($12,000) and seek reduction of $100 a month in Congressional stipends ("Dominicans are poor, therefore all must live the same") ; 4) All civilians will be disarmed "whether my friends or Velasquez's"; 5) "if possible" a national military academy similar to West Point, with U. S. Army instructors, will be founded in Santo Domingo.

* The bones of Columbus, originally interred at Seville, were removed to Santo Domingo, thence to Havana, finally in 1899 were returned to Seville, the irons having been lost meanwhile.

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